In an attempt to encourage the use of 21st Century Skills in the classroom, three institutes are being offered through ERO to Social Studies teachers. Each institute will be open to a maximum of 5 teachers and pay $25/hour for a maximum of $100. The institutes will be 5 weeks in length and require teachers to learn independently in an online environment. Please read each institute that is being offered and the requirements for each. If you are interested, please register in ERO by December 19. Classes will begin Dec. 22, 2008.



21st Century Learning Institute: Creative Presentation in the Social Studies Classroom
All too often, when students are asked to present material in class, it’s a boring PowerPoint that does not extend the learning in the classroom. This class will present teachers with another option for students to use that will not only be more creative than a PowerPoint, but will be global and invite others to participate in the project. This class will teach students and teachers about such 21st Century Skills as: creativity, communication, and collaboration.

The class will be 5-weeks long with the following requirements:
· Answer questions in the discussion board and respond to the other participants
· Complete the self-paced tutorials on voicethread.com
· Assign the project to your class
· Provide at least 4 examples of quality student work
· Reflection of the project in the discussion board or your own blogglobe.jpg

21st Century Learning Institute: Creative Geography Connections in the Social Studies Classroom
Most people know that geography skills are a weak area for our students. However, understanding the world in which they will compete is more important than ever. This class will introduce students and teachers with more creative ways to link Geography into their lessons and hopefully link them to other content areas such as English or Science. This class will teach students and teachers about such 21st Century Skills as: communication and global awareness.

The class will be 5-weeks long with the following requirements:
· Answer questions in the discussion board and respond to the other participants
· Complete the self-paced tutorials on Google Earth
· Assign the project to your class
· Provide at least 4 examples of quality student work
· Reflection of the project in the discussion board or your own blog


21st Century Learning Institute: Creative Discussions in the Social Studies Classroom
Research has shown that people learn more through discussion than reading or hearing. Yet, all too often, discussions in the social studies classroom do not lead to more in-depth learning and understanding. This class will introduce teachers to a variety of methods to enhance discussions in the classroom. This includes Quality Questioning techniques, converting standard worksheets to discussion tools, and using discussion boards. In the end, the theme will be to commit the student to writing before the discussion.

The class will be 5-weeks long with the following requirements:
· Answer questions in the discussion board and respond to the other participants
· Complete the self-paced tutorials on discussion boards and reworking worksheets
· Lead discussions in your class
· Invite me to one of your classroom discussions
· Reflection of the project in the discussion board or your own blog